About Susie Rieple

When it comes to most any form of art, people are consistently curious about the artists behind the art…what is their story? Why did they choose this form of art? What motivates them? And on it goes.

I’ve experienced this at virtually every show where I present. So, since this website is an electronic expression of my work on display, let me answer the most common questions I’m posed…and hopefully, it will provide a little more insight into my work and my passion.

People often ask when I started my photography business and where the name came from and I have to admit that I didn’t initially anticipate my love of photography to become a business. The reality was that wherever I traveled, I would photograph those things that captured my attention…things that I wanted to remember. Upon returning home, I’d share them with friends and that lead to my managing their requests for copies. Because of that response, I was encouraged to start my own business. It was because I traveled a great deal…and perhaps because my life can be, at times, unintentionally “adventurous”…All Over the Map seemed an appropriate moniker!

I was born in England but my parents always loved travel. That love was manifested by my father’s taking jobs in Africa and the Far East when I was between the ages of 6-18. Our favorite form of travel at the time was by ship which added to the adventure of it all. I was completely taken in by all the new sites and colors and sounds and wanted to capture them on film…just as my grandfather had done when he lived in Japan at the turn of the 20th century, taking amazing photos of the land and its people (many of which I treasure to this day). So it was not a surprise that when I was given my first camera. I immediately started capturing the unique images of the new land in which we were settling. That love of photography and the love of adventure has never left me.

I’ve never solely focused on animate or inanimate objects in my work. I have always simply been drawn to anything that has light and shadows. Whether it’s that warm, golden light in the evening or that special moment when the sun breaks through the frosty pines in the early morning. It may even be something as odd as the light I see behind a cow’s head that highlights her ears or her fur! Or the magically complex eye of a beautiful stallion. Or the shimmering reflection of light on colorful Italian fishing boats in the warm waters of Portofino. ANY subject dappled or even drenched in light, draws me to it because light properly captured, exposes and even explodes details that one doesn’t normally notice.

Ultimately, what I desire to create for the individual who possesses my art is “joy”. Whether the photo calls to mind a specific memory or feeling the person has experienced in life…or whether it is the unique style of the piece that enriches their soul…I simply want them to experience that uplifting joy that only beauty can bring.